GREEN HAIR: If green hair is going to occur, it is most common on swimmers with light (blonde) hair and light skin. Although excessive chlorine is thought to be the only cause of green hair, it is not even an isolated factor. The presence of excess copper in the water is the main cause for green hair.
For more specific information on green hair, select from the following topics:
COPPER: the presence of copper, no matter how it enters your pool water, is a primary cause for green hair.
LOW pH AND A HEATER: A correlation between low pH readings and the use of a pool heater is a primary cause for green hair in light skinned blondes. Remembering "demand and balance," unbalanced water will dissolve any metallic material (copper heater internals) that it comes into contact with until it can no longer store what was dissolved. This unbalanced water will then rid itself of the excess of what was dissolved. This dissolved and suspended copper, then, may attach to the light (blonde) hair pigments, causing the green hair. For the pool, the treatment is easy - raise and maintain the pH within its ideal range (7.2 - 7.8) and add a Metal Sequestering Agent to rid the water of the copper. For the light skinned blonde, though, the treatment is not so easy-you will need to locate and purchase a specially formulated shampoo to remove the green highlights.
NOTE: It is not too expensive to purchase a pH Increaser (Sodium Carbonate) to raise the pH level. It is also not too expensive to purchase a Metal Sequestering Agent. But, it will be very expensive to purchase a new heat exchanger. Monitor your pH regularly.
HIGH CHLORINE: Although the presence of copper in the water is perhaps the primary cause for green hair, a high chlorine level may also lead to green hair in light skinned blondes. For the pool, the treatment is fairly easy-eliminate the addition of chlorine until the level drops to within the 2.0 - 3.0 ppm reading. If your chlorine stays high, you can add Sodium Thiosulfate to assist with lowering the chlorine. For the light skinned blonde, though, the treatment is not so easy-you will need to locate and purchase a specially formulated shampoo to remove the green highlights.
LOW pH, HIGH CHLORINE, AND THE USE OF A HEATER: A correlation between a low pH reading, a high chlorine reading, and the use of a pool heater is also a primary cause for green hair in light skinned blondes. For the pool, the treatment is fairly easy - raise and maintain the pH within its ideal range (7.2 - 7.8) and lower the chlorine reading. You will need to eliminate the addition of chlorine until the level drops to within the 2.0 - 3.0 ppm reading. If your chlorine stays high, you can add Sodium Thiosulfate to assist with lowering the chlorine. Once water chemistry is restored, add a Metal Sequestering Agent to rid the water of the copper. For the light skinned blonde, though, the treatment is not so easy-you will need to locate and purchase a specially formulated shampoo to remove the green highlights.
METALLIC ALGAECIDE: Copper is an ingredient in Metallic Algaecide. If any copper remnants are allowed to remain in the pool water, it could turn the hair of a light skinned blonde green. For the pool, the treatment is easy-test and adjust your chemicals, just to make sure everything is in range, and add a Metal Sequestering Agent to rid the water of the copper. For the light skinned blonde, though, the treatment is not so easy-you will need to locate and purchase a specially formulated shampoo to remove the green highlights.